Chapter 533: Sharing the Spotlight
Chapter 533: Sharing the Spotlight
"Look over there!"
Despite the cover of night, many students noticed the Ford Anglia soaring over the castle.
Professor McGonagall, who had been welcoming new students at the entrance, also looked up, her eyes following the direction of the disappearing car. A frown marred her face.
It was heading toward the Forbidden Forest, and that was definitely not good news.
Percy, who had just alighted from his carriage, immediately made his way over to Professor McGonagall, much like a student rushing to a teacher with some juicy gossip.
As Albert and his friends approached, they overheard Percy telling Professor McGonagall about the flying car, and Albert couldn't help but notice the twitch in the professor's face. The deputy headmistress was clearly displeased.
It was understandable; anyone would assume that Harry Potter and Ron Weasley arriving at school in a flying car was purely for showboating.
"Alright, everyone, inside! Dinner is about to start!"
Professor McGonagall called out to the students who were still craning their necks toward the Forbidden Forest. Then, she summoned Nearly Headless Nick to relay the news to Dumbledore.
In the Great Hall, upon receiving Nearly Headless Nick's message, Dumbledore fell silent for a moment, and the professors seated nearby began to whisper among themselves.
"Severus."
Dumbledore turned to Snape, who was seated not too far away. "I need you to go and find Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley and bring them back to the school. Hopefully, they haven't ventured too far."
"Do you need my assistance?" Lockhart ignored the odd looks from his colleagues and offered a smile. "Finding people is my specialty. I once tracked a Yeti in the Himalayas and succeeded in locating it."
"That won't be necessary, Gilderoy," Dumbledore politely refused. "You're new to the school, and tonight, you need to meet and greet everyone."
"You are too lenient," Snape chimed in. "That's why they disregard the decree limiting underage wizardry. Perhaps they should be expelled to set an example for the other students."
"Thank you for your suggestion, Severus, but I believe we need to find them first and understand the situation," Dumbledore replied.
"I will find them," Snape affirmed, understanding Dumbledore's unspoken message. He rose from the staff table and stalked off, his face grim, to find the troublemaking Harry Potter.
Along the way, Snape couldn't help but overhear students discussing the arrival by car. To most students, whether it broke school rules or was dangerous was secondary; what captivated them was the sheer coolness of arriving at school in a car.
Finding the two students wasn't particularly challenging for Snape. A Tracking Charm soon led him to the Ford Anglia, which had crashed into the Whomping Willow and was now being pummeled by the angry tree.
Thankfully, the two occupants of the car seemed unharmed, and Snape breathed a sigh of relief.
Watching the Whomping Willow batter the car with its branches, Snape recalled an unpleasant memory from his own past. Just as he was about to rescue the car from the tree's wrath, Potter and Weasley managed to escape the tree's grasp, narrowly avoiding further disaster.
Seeing the disheveled pair and the now-driverless car, Snape decided against revealing himself and instead cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself, silently trailing the exhausted duo as they made their way back to the castle.
For some reason, seeing their disarray improved Snape's mood.
The same couldn't be said for Albert, whose mood was less than pleasant.
The youngest International Wizarding Chess Champion ever felt like he had never been less welcome.
Along the way, countless students stopped him to say hello, as if they wanted to strike up a conversation. People whispered and pointed at him, and the corridor echoed with the hushed voices of gossiping students.
Albert could only pretend not to notice and ignore them.
"It's hard to imagine someone driving to school," Hannah commented to Alicia and Angelina as they walked alongside them. "Congratulations, by the way, youngest Wizarding Chess Champion. The newspapers and magazines were talking about you for most of the summer break."
Albert winced inwardly at her words. Finally, they reached the end of the corridor.
In the Great Hall, four long House tables were set up, illuminated by floating candles that reflected off the excited faces of the students.
Everyone was chatting animatedly, exchanging news from their summer holidays or calling out to friends from other Houses.
Of course, most of the students were also discussing the flying car incident. Although only a few had actually witnessed it, the news had spread like wildfire.
Albert and his friends made their way away from the crowd and took their seats at the Gryffindor table. The girls peppered him with questions about his trip abroad.
Compared to the news of someone arriving by car, Albert's rumored love life was far more intriguing to the girls.
Now, as the International Wizarding Chess Champion, Albert's fame made him irresistibly attractive to all the girls.
Albert could only deflect their inquiries with vague descriptions of his foreign adventures. As for a love life, sorry, but he was too focused on his goals to have a foreign girlfriend! "There's an empty seat at the staff table."
"After Fred sat down, he whispered to his companions, "Where's Snape?""
"Maybe he's sick," Jordan said maliciously.
"Don't be stupid, Snape is probably off looking for Potter and Weasley," Albert interrupted, seeing his friend speculating that Snape might have been fired. "Someone needs to go find those two."
Soon, the Great Hall quieted down as Professor McGonagall began the Sorting Ceremony.
The Sorting Hat began to sing its new song, which it had painstakingly composed over the year, and one by one, the new students were sorted into their respective Houses amid applause.
However, halfway through the Sorting Ceremony, whispers filled the Great Hall as people spotted Harry and Ron appearing at the entrance, only to be swiftly led away by the suddenly appearing Snape.
Undoubtedly, the students who arrived at school in a Ford Anglia were none other than the famous Harry Potter and his best friend, Ron Weasley.
As the students murmured among themselves, the Sorting Hat continued its task.
Ginny Weasley was sorted into Gryffindor, and Percy led the applause, exclaiming dramatically, "Well done, Ginny, very well done."
Ginny blushed and lowered her head, looking at her plate.
Soon after the Sorting Ceremony ended, Snape hurried back, and just as Dumbledore was about to say a few words, he paused.
The Great Hall fell silent as all eyes turned to Snape, who was speaking with the headmaster.
Those in the front row could vaguely make out snippets of their conversation: "...I found them... the car crashed into the Whomping Willow... they're unhurt... in my office..."
Then, Professor McGonagall followed Snape out.
After a brief moment, Dumbledore spoke, announcing the start of the feast, and quickly followed Snape and Professor McGonagall out of the hall.
"What did they say?"
"It seems Potter and Weasley crashed their car into the Whomping Willow, but they're fine and currently in his Potions office," came the reply.
"I bet this will be a story we'll tell for years to come," Jordan said excitedly. "Maybe we should make a Chocolate Frog Card out of it."
"Well, I'm glad you're happy," Albert said as he began to enjoy the delicious food, not wanting to engage in further discussion.
When the three professors returned to the Great Hall, Harry and Ron were nowhere to be seen, and many students speculated that they had been expelled.
During the meal, the students' conversations revolved around three topics: Albert's achievement as the International Wizarding Chess Champion, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Gilderoy Lockhart, and Harry Potter's arrival by car.
Albert skillfully diverted the girls' attention to Lockhart.
The handsome and charismatic professor easily captivated the attention of the young ladies.
It was undeniable that good looks, whether in a boy or a girl, always attracted attention.
While Albert was indeed handsome, the fact that he had a girlfriend meant that the other girls had no chance with him.
Before the feast ended, Dumbledore announced that Gilderoy Lockhart would be filling the vacant position for Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Lockhart's popularity among the female students was evident, and he was warmly welcomed.
"What's wrong?" Jordan noticed Albert's odd expression and whispered.
"I have a feeling this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts class is going to be a disaster," Albert whispered back, barely moving his lips.
As they made their way through the corridor toward the Gryffindor Tower's secret entrance, Fred couldn't help but ask, "Do you think Lockhart isn't good at Defense Against the Dark Arts?"
"I don't have a good feeling about Lockhart," Albert replied. "And you guys probably didn't notice the other professors' attitudes toward him."
"What attitudes?" George asked curiously, as he hadn't paid attention to that.
"Dislike," Albert said with a strange expression. "Even Snape wasn't treated like that."
"Password?"
As they approached the painting of the fat lady in pink satin, she asked.
"The password is 'Cannary,'" George replied, noticing the others' confused looks. "I asked Percy."
In the Gryffindor common room, many students were still gathered, waiting for Harry and Ron.
"You're quite popular," Jordan commented.
"Don't be ridiculous, they're waiting for Harry Potter," Albert rolled his eyes.
"They haven't come back yet?"
"A lot of people are saying they've been expelled," a senior student answered Jordan's question.
"Definitely not," Albert said. "I'm heading upstairs. Goodnight, everyone!" With that, he made his way through the crowd to the spiral staircase leading to the boys' dormitory.
As Albert changed into his pajamas, he heard loud applause from downstairs, indicating that Harry and Ron had finally returned to the common room.
"It's good to have someone share the spotlight," Albert muttered, looking at Crookshanks' neatly cleaned bed. He suddenly missed his own cat, Tom.
(End of Chapter)
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